posted by
someone claiming to be 960 Brickster
on
Thu Jul 15 07:44 CST 2010 [ RELATED]
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Well the drivers seat in my 95 960 is pretty much toast. Although the motors work, the leather is split in many places, and the foam is crubmling.
I found a Volvo shop that is parting out a 95 960, and he wants $150 for both front seats. However, I really only need the drivers side. I was wondering if the passenger seat could be modified to fit the drivers side?
Although the power controls are on one side, could these not be moved to the other side?
Alternatively, could I rebuild a drivers seat using the better leather and foam from the passengers front seat on the other car?
I was considering bringing both home, and keeping the air bag sensor off my existing seat as it is from a known source.
Ideas and thoughts appreciated here, as I plan to go in a day or two.
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Dear 960 Brickster,
May this find you well. At $150 for both, I take the pair, and install the donor car's driver's seat. If it does not have a SIPS bag, you cannot transfer your SIPS bag to the donor car's non-SIPS seat. The stitching on SIPS-equipped seats is different from that on non-SIPS-equipped cars. The stitching on SIPS-equipped cars is design to part, when the airbag deploys.
The seat controls are different, as the driver's seat has memory (and so a seat-side-mounted control panel, wired to an under-seat computer). The passenger seat switch has no memory, so the wiring harnesses run directly to the seat motors. These seat controls do not interchange.
The bottom seat cushions likely will interchange. However, the seat back leather has a hold, at the side, that controls the lumbar support setting. Even if passenger seat leather can be installed on the driver's seat, the hole for the lumbar support adjustment knob will be on the opposite side.
Be advised: the airbag sensor is affixed to the floor pan, under the driver's seat. The sensor can trigger the airbag, if the sensor is banged or thumped. An airbad deployment can be lethal, if you're close to the bag, when it deploys.
Thus, to avoid death danger, be sure to disconnect the negative battery cable clamp from the negative battery terminal. Put he cable clamp in a plastic bag and wait 20 minutes. This will cut power to the SRS sensor. As the powered seats are heavy and unwieldy, you may want to use cardboard sheets, to protect the door threshold strip and the door panel, against "dings", should the seat slip from your grasp.
I have installed powered seats (from 960s) in 940s that did not come so. I installed SIPS-equipped seats from a '97 960 in a '93 940. I transferred the white plastic blocks - mounted inside the door - which serve as strikers and so activate the SIPS bag, when the door shell is pressed inwards, by collision energy.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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hello, spook. thanks for the very enlightening post about SIPS and the related air bags. Now, all cars that say SIPS do not have the side air bags, is that correct?
also, where do the bags actually reside?
thank you.
--
1991 745 & 1993 965 /// RIP: 86 764T; 79 262C
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Dear Chris,
May this find You well. If a car has labels with the acronym "SIPS", it does have the side-impact airbags. These were installed on 1996 & 1997 960s. The SIPS unit is in the seat back, outboard side (closest to the door).
SIPS units are not electrically-triggered, as are the other airbags (steering wheel and the in-dashboard passenger unit). SIPS units deploy when impact or other-sourced energy, drives an in-door plastic block against an initiator. The initiator "fires" and sends a column of hot gas to the SIPS bag, triggering its deployment.
The initiator is in the seat-side plastic housing, rearwards of the seat control. Before working on these seats, remove the cover at he rear of the housing. You should find a plastic piece, that - when inserted as shown - protects the initiator against shock, which can trigger a bag deployment.
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
Spook
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posted by
someone claiming to be 960 Brickster
on
Thu Jul 15 12:11 CST 2010 [ RELATED]
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Thanks Spook. By SIPS I am guessing you mean side impact air bags? My 960 does not have side impact bags, and I am pretty sure the donor car does not either.
Is there any simple way to peel the skins off? I could probably do this, but might be much easier to swap the entire seat. But while I have two of each seat, what should I be sure to check and pull from one seat to the next?
It looks like the best way to go is to pull the seats and bring them home to get the cables, motors, seat heater and everything in top shape and then install them.
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Spook knows much more than I about the sensors/airbags etc, but I do know that swapping the covers and cushions from the pass seat to the driver's side frame, is not difficult and very practical, as it makes a great long lasting seat.
The bottom cushion on most or all similar models simply swaps over. The seat back simply peels off by cutting some hog rings, and the lumbar hole is covered with fabric from the bad seat, and a new hole cut for the other side. I also swapped the foam on the back as it also was much better condition than the well used driver's seat I had. It may be a good idea to swap out the lumbar support as those do break. There was a post about a permanent fix for those several months ago that I thought was quite well done, you might look into that too.
I had this done last year by an upholstery shop, total cost to r&r the seats, swap covers and cut or plug hole, $100. I could have spent much less if I pulled the seat and pulled off the covers myself, and only paid to have the holes dealt with.
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posted by
someone claiming to be 960 Brickster
on
Fri Jul 16 04:19 CST 2010 [ RELATED]
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Is it hard to get the skins off? The faq instructions make it look like a bear of a task, and seems to be focused on earlier 940's.
Not even sure where to start. I know there are wire clips for the bottom cover at the back, but not sure what else is needed, especially for the seat back. Is there a zipper for the seat back to get the cover off?
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It is not as hard as it may seem. There is no zipper on any Volvo seat I'm familiar with, so doubt it on yours.
With the seat out, the bottom of the back is easily accessible That comes apart, take off the lumbar knob, peel off the cover like inverting a wet Tshirt (stop that!) and you'll find places along the front sides and in the crease in the upper middle where the cover is attached to or through the back, by hogrings. The upper middle ones are hard to see but are there. Press the foam aside and clip them. The headrest comes off easily, Once the little button is found! It is exactly just below the edge of the seat frame, approx 3" below top of seat, and directly in line with the mounting post. Press in a Long ways and they release.
If you go to an upholserer they will reattach the cover with hogrings, but I have used 100 lb. zipties with no issue. You can even double them up in some places, but don't use cheap ones.
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